Shawn Mendes

Shawn Peter Raul Mendes is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. Born on August 8, 1998, he first gained public attention in 2013 after sharing song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine. A short cover of Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me" earned him 10,000 likes and followers overnight, rapidly establishing his online following. In late 2013, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gertler and Island Records A&R Ziggy Chareton, leading to his signing with Island Records in May 2014.

Mendes was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Karen, an English real estate agent, and Manuel Mendes, a Portuguese businessman from the Algarve who sells bar and restaurant supplies. Raised in Pickering, Ontario, alongside his younger sister Aaliyah, Mendes grew up in a religious household. He taught himself to play guitar at age 13 by watching YouTube tutorials. While attending Pine Ridge Secondary School, from which he graduated in June 2016, Mendes played soccer and ice hockey, joined the glee club, took acting lessons, and auditioned for the Disney Channel.

Mendes released his debut single, "Life of the Party," in June 2014, followed by a self-titled debut EP that peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200. After touring on the Magcon Tour and opening for Austin Mahone and Taylor Swift, he released his debut studio album, Handwritten, in April 2015. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200, making him one of the youngest artists to achieve a number-one album debut. Its single "Stitches" reached number one in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States and Canada. Late that year, he released "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a collaborative single with Camila Cabello.

His second studio album, Illuminate (2016), also debuted at number one in both the United States and Canada, supported by top-ten singles "Treat You Better," "Mercy," and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back." In 2018, Mendes released his self-titled third studio album, which debuted at number one in Canada and the US, making him the third-youngest artist to collect three number-one albums. The record was led by the single "In My Blood." He later released the hit singles "If I Can't Have You" and "Señorita," the latter of which topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

In December 2020, Mendes released his fourth studio album, Wonder, preceded by the single "Monster" featuring Justin Bieber. With Wonder debuting atop the Billboard 200, Mendes became the youngest male artist ever to top the chart with four studio albums. Netflix subsequently released the documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder and a concert film recorded at Rogers Centre. Following a musical sabbatical, Mendes released his fifth studio album, Shawn, in November 2024, exploring the folk genre.

Throughout his career, Mendes has earned numerous accolades, including 13 SOCAN awards, ten MTV Europe Music Awards, eight Juno Awards, eight iHeartRadio MMVAs, and two American Music Awards. He has also received three Grammy Award nominations and one Brit Award nomination. In 2018, Time named Mendes one of the 100 most influential people in the world.